422 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



can be obtained from their New York agents, the E. 

 George Company, 194 Front Street, New York City. 

 Two of their machines are especially suited for your 

 purpose. One is a three horsepower machine, catalogue 

 No. 3112, costing $280, with truck ; and the other is a one- 

 and-a-half horsepower machine, catalogue No. 1919, cost- 

 ing $176.67, with truck. Other good machines are the 

 Fitz Henry Guptil, the Domestic, the Bean, the Gould and 

 the Deyo Macey. You will need oil emulsions to spray 

 the trees in March and Bordeaux mixture and arsenate 

 of lead for later spraying. Interstate Chemical Com- 



pany, 12 Bayview Avenue, Jersey City, N. J., will supply 

 those. Other good firms are The Vreeland Chemical 

 Company, 50 Church Street, New York City ; Pratt & 

 Co., of the same address; The Graselli Chemical Com- 

 pany and the Sherwin Williams Company, of New York 

 City. You will have to spray your orchard in March 

 with lime sulphur wash and the Bordeaux mixture and 

 arsenate of lead will have to be applied after blossom- 

 ing. It is wise to have the trees inspected to determine 

 the exact nature of the insects before recommending 

 specific treatments. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 



Q. My rhododendrons have died this spring in large numbers. 

 Can you account for it, and tell me what to do? 



C. K., Wilkcs-Barrc,Pa. 



A. This winter has been a very hard one on rhododendrons 

 and many of the exotic evergreens. We have seen hundreds 

 of rhododendrons winter-killed early this spring; but a close 

 e.xamination will show that they are profusely sprouting from 

 the base and lower branches. All you need to do is to cut 

 ofi the dead branches and let the new ones come up. 



Q. My hickories are dying in large numbers. Can you tell 

 me what to do? J. M., Tarry town, N. Y. 



A. Judging from your statement that your hickories are dying 

 in large numbers, and that they are located in the vicinity of 

 New York, I presume that they have been injured by the 

 hickory bark beetle, an insect which has destroyed thousands 

 of hickories in your vicinity. A close examination of your 

 trees will show sawdust on the outer bark and many beetles 

 ready to emerge on the inner bark. We fear it is too late to 

 cut the infested trees down; but 'Would suggest a careful exami- 

 nation of all the hickory trees during the fall before the leaves 

 drop, and would advise you to mark the infested ones and have 

 them removed and burned before the following spring. 



Q. My horse chestnuts are turning brown. 



M. L., Syracuse, N. V. 



A. It is very characteristic for horse chestnuts to turn brown 

 prematurely. It is due to a fungous blight, and it would be 

 impractical to apply any special form of attention except fre- 

 quent watering during the hot summer months. 



Q. Two of my elms are bleeding profusely, producing a 

 white, slimy flow of sap. Will you kindly tell me what to do? 



R. H. Stamford, Conn. 



A. We assume that your elms are suffering from a disease 

 known as slime flux, caused by little mites. It is very diffi- 

 cult to control this flow of sap, and can only advise you to 

 keep the wound clean, cover the exposed part with coal tar, 

 and if this does not stop the flow of sap, burn out very carefully 

 the exposed area and tar it. 



Q. I am sending you two photos of a honey locust of mine 

 that split in two the past winter. As it stands the tree that 

 is left is six feet in circumference. The hole goes well down 

 into the root. Because it is still a handsome tree I am anxious 

 to preserve it and shall greatly appreciate vour suggestions. 



"S. B. S., Setauket, L. I., N. Y. 



A. Remove all broken parts and by means of chisel and gouge, 

 smooth the exposed wood in such manner as to drain the water 

 and leave no crevices for the accumulation of moisture. After 

 the surface has been smoothed, apply a coat of creosote and 

 another coat of coal tar. It is also necessary to have the edges 

 of the wound cut perfectly smooth, and it would be wise in 

 the fall to trim the top of the crown with the object of lessen- 

 ing the weight of the tree, in order to enable the weakened 

 trunk to support it. A honey locust will respond very readily 

 to severe trimming. 



Q. I am sending a couple of twigs taken from a Silver maple. 

 I have several of these on my lawn and they are fairly well 

 covered with th 'se parasites, or whatever they may be, and 

 I would like to know how to treat them, and would be pleased 

 if you could give me a prompt reply. I have also some apple. 

 pear and plum trees and I notice dn the crotclies of some of the 

 limbs nests of some very small caterpillars. What is the best 

 way to get rid of these?' W. T. T., Utica, N. Y. 



A. The soft maple leaves show a bad infestation of what we 

 know as the bladder maple gall, a deformity which is some- 

 times very abundant on small trees, in particular. It is caused 

 by an extremely small plant mote. Ordinarily there is not enough 

 injury to warrant treatment, though should the trees from 

 which your samples were removed appear to justify it, I would 

 suggest spraying in the early spring before the buds have started, 

 with a lime-sulphur wash; any of the standard commercial 

 preparations diluted approximately 1 to 8, such as for San Jose 

 scale. This should prove fairly effective in checking the mites. 



As to the caterpillars in the apple and other trees, I assume 

 that they are apple tent caterpillars, and if so, would suggest 

 that you apply kerosene to the webs and caterpillars, early in 

 the morning or late in the afternoon. The kerosene may be 

 applied on a sponge or cloth attached to a stick, and it need 

 not be lighted. 



Q. A soft maple tree about fifteen feet high was transplanted 

 two months ago from natural situation in the woods, and was 

 found to contain several decayed spots where branches had 

 been broken off^; these were drilled out and filled with cement; 

 the tree leafed out finely, but leaves were attacked by a rust 

 insect ; leaves are badly eaten away but still seem vigorous. 

 Shall appreciate your advice. W. B. C, Oakmont, Pa. 



A. The answer given to "W. T. T., Utica, N. Y-," in the pre- 

 ceding paragraphs doubtless explains the maple rust to which 

 you refer, and the same treatment should apply. 



Q. I have had remarkable luck in transplanting about two 

 hundred White pine trees from the woods— they have thrived 

 and some are now aliout ten years old. They are quite bushy 

 at the bottom and I want to trim those lower branches ofJ, both 

 for protection from fire and to beautify the trees, and would 

 like to know when would be the best time to do this, and also 

 at about what age it would be best for the tree. 



C. S. B., New York. 



A. It is perfectly all right to trim these lower branches at 

 any time from now on, though during the fall would be best 

 of all. Cutting ofT the lower branches will help to keep out 

 fire and will produce better timber but will not enhance the 

 beauty to any extent. It is best to trim the branches gradually, 

 extending over a period of years rather than doing it all at 

 once. Tlierefore, the earlier the work is begun, the better. 



Q. Could you kindly inform me as to what sort of an insect 

 this is on the elms and what to do for the same? Am sending 

 the leaves in another box. W. M. S., Milbrook, N. Y. 



A. The specimens of elm leaves wihich you send in show 

 they have been eaten by the larvae of the elm leaf beetle. The 

 remedy is to spray the under side of elm leaves at this season 

 with arsenate of lead in solution at the rate of one pound 

 to ten gallons of water. The elm leaf beetle spends its winter 

 in beetle form. In May, the beetles emerge from their winter 

 quarters and feed on the leaves. Their injury results in holes 

 right through the leaves. The beetles then deposit eggs and 

 the larvae soon hatch from these eggs. These larvae, or cater- 

 pillars, feed on the under side of the leaves only and produce 

 the lace-like effect shown on the leaves you sent' me. In early 

 August the larvae will change into dormant yellowish pupae 

 and in this process they can be found lying about the base 

 of the elm tree dn large numbers. .Ml one ne'eds to do at that 

 time is to colleot these pupae and destroy them, or pour some 

 hot water on them. Few persons know about this stage of 

 the elm leaf beetle and this means of destroying them is therefore 

 seldom used. 



